Cotton cleaner



April m, 1929.

E. l.. FARLEY COTTON CLEANER 2 -Sheets-Sheet l Edward L. Erf/] l aucune/1Z- E. L. FARLEY COTTON CLEANER April 16, 1929.

Filed Jan. 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 'l o,

EDVJARD L. FARLEY, OF JONESBORO, ARKANSAS.

COTTON CLEANER.

Application filed January 14, 1928.

This invention relates to a cotton cleanerj and the primary object of the same is to provide a cleaner organization Ot a comparatively simpley toi-m that may be 1nstallcd without materially interfering With the settingy or other equipment. and, that may occupy the space uovv allotted to a standard upright cleaning feeder as employed by gin nianut'actiuers, and to embody therein mechanism for directingY cotton ot a bolly character to a boll breaker. or for receiving the cotton direct Without passing it through the boli breaker to eliminate dust, dirt and trash therefrom, so that when the cotton is delivered to a dislrihutoiz, or enrol-ejes troni `the improved cleaner for further operation, as, tor instance, supply to a grin stand. it will bc in suitable condition for etfective ginning and the production of a superior commercial sample grade of cotton.

A further object ot' the invention is to provide a cotton cleaner having therein means for prcliniinarily treating` cotton ot ditfcrent grades, or for subjecting hully cotton to the action ot a boll breaker, or the treatment of cotton which enters the cleaner Without bolls or small portions of holls Without passing through the boll breaker, and to finally treat the cotton ot either grade through the. medium of a reeleaningr means consistingi ot' a phirality of spilfcd cylinders or rollers With intel-fitting spike members and a loiver screen, proportioned and assembled in such manner as to subject the cotton to Jfurther or reeleanine; treatment to materially sc -arte dust` dirt and other foreifrn matter from the cotton before it is delivered to the distributcr or directly to agin stand. and to avoid deterioration or injury to the cotton treated.

A further object of the invention is to introduce between a recleaningir means consisting ot a series ot spiked rollers located at tht` lower portion ot' the cleaner. a saw cylinder and a single spiked conveyer in advance ot said cylinder and which receives the hully cotton which has been subjected to treatment by the holl breaker, the conveyor having); the spikes set in spiral form in reverse position from each other and to the center. to pick the tinal locks of cotton from portions ot hulls or other foreign matter descending to the said conveyer before the cotton thus operated upon by the saw cylinder will be subjected to the recleaning Serial N0. 246,810.

means and delivery t rom the cleaner to a distrihuter or L.egin stand.

A still further object ot the invention is to provide a rotary recleaning means in a eleancr closely associated with devices for prcliminarily treating cotton to receive holly cotton Which has been partially treated, or cotton which is of such limited holly nature as to require only the ordinary gin stand to handle the same, and also other cotton ot a higher grade, and subject the saine to linal recleaning devices.

The presentinvention is more in the nature ot a hull extracting cleaning teeder`r that is. it is a i'eeder device adapted to receive therein such a quantity of cotton may be necessary to supply the individual stand, the delivery beine; over the entire length of the machine, and thus avoiding Vthe necessity oi providingr rightand letthand machines, as is the common practice in nearly all gin machinery installations.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts which Will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the dravvingszf- Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section through a cleaner embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken sectional vien' taken in the plane of line 2 2, Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a broken sectional view taken in the plane of line 3-3, Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a detail diagrammatic view of a novel form ot eonveyer which receives the hully cotton and delivers the same to a lower saiv cylinder.

The numeral 5 designates a housing which r) is to be constructed as an enclosure of this type and of a composite nature, or having a frame. 5a With partial sheet metal structures 5" secured thereto at intervals and which `will be hereinafter specifically reterred to as contributing to the formation ot' passages and disposition of the several parts. At tho upper extremity of the housing;a is an inlet (3 having therehelow oppositely disposed tlutcd rollers 7 driven by suitable interposed mechanism from a main shaft 8 extending longitudinally through the housing and having` mounted therein suitable bearings. Above the rollers 7 are inwardly inclined deflection boards or chutes 7a Which direct the cotton of whatever character towards the fluted rollers 7. Below these rollers 7 is a saddle 9 comprising oppositely inclined detiection board or chute members 9 and 9b, and an upper valve 9C which will be operated by any suitable means from the exterior of the housing to throw the same either to the right or to the left to defiect the mass of cotton fed into the housing in either one of the two directions. vertically disposed. directly below the center ofthe saddle 9 is a stripper 1() in the form of a specific roller, a saw cylinder 11 directly beneath the stripper 10, a brush cylinder 12 at the right and above the said saw cylinder, and below the saw cylinder 11 there is another stl'ipper 13, a second saw cylinder 14, and a brush cylinder 15, all rotating in the direction of the arrows on these several instrumentalities. At the right of the saw cylinder 11, below the brush cylinder 12. is a downwardly inclined deflection or chute board 1G, and between the board chute member 9" and the upper portion of the stripper 1() is a horizontal `ruard 17 to prevent material passing above the said stripper from beneath the said guard. At the upper left hand side of the housing adjacent to the inlet 6 is an air valve 18 which may be opened or closed, as deY sired and found necessary, and at the oppo site side of the housing above part of the mechanism is another air inlet valve 19, these valves 18 and 19 being adjustable or operable to admit a certain amount of air. Inv the event that air currents are used to move the foreign matter in a downward direction, it will be understood that these valves controlling openings are in favorable positions in the housing to facilitate this operation` and the valve 19 is pivoted in such manner as to permit foreign substances, which may pass into the machine with the cotton, to be easily removed. The lower part of the housing is hopper shaped or forms an outlet hopper 20 which opens into a trough 21 in which is a` suitable conveyer or other refuse removing means Q2. The lower right hand side of the housing, which is part of the sheet metal enclosure 5", is inclined inwardly and downwardly towards the said trough 21 and forms the long side of the hopper.

As shown at the left side of the interior o1" the housing below the valve 18 and at a suitable distance from the saw cylinder 11 is a spiked roller 23 with a screen 24 around the lower portion of the same and in adjacent cooperative relation to a boll breaker 25 co1nprising a toothed head 26 with an adjusting screw 2T attached thereto and having an eX- teriorly located and operable hand Wheel or analogous device'QS bearing in the adjacent side portion of the housing.. This boll breaker may be withdrawn by adjustment from cooperative adjacency to the spiked roller 23, or it may be moved inwardly to perform its function or to operate as a crushing means with the said roller 23 and open and crush the bolls or portions of bolls that may be fed thereto. extremity of the screen 24 downwardly to the upper extremity of a screen 29 around a spiked roller 30, similar to the roller 2?, is an outwardly and downwardly inclined deiection board or chute 31 which carries the refuse material passing through the screen 24 downwardly outside of the screen Q9 and finally to the trough 21 and removing or conveying means 22 in the latter. In advance of the roller 30, and at a suitable distance below the deflection board or chute 31, is a deflection board or chute 32 which extends from its upper end to a point close to the saw cylinder 11 and terminates adjacent to the upper portion of the roller 30. Meeting the lower extren'iity of the screen 29 is the upper terminal of a screen 33 which extends downwardly and around the lower portion of a spiked conveyer 34 which stands adjacent to and in cooperative relation with the lower saw cylinder 14. rl'his conveyer is in the form of a roller with Spikes secured therein, and said conveyer servis` as the tinal separation means of the por tions of hu is to which the cotton locks still cling1 and from which the cotton it separated. The spikes 35 in this roller are set in spiral form in reverse inclined position from the center to the ends, and by this means the portions of the hulls with the locks of cotton still clinging thereto are moved across the saw cylinder 14, the cotton being taken up by the said saw cylinder 14 and separated from the portions of the hulls, and the latter together with any foreign matter that may pass down to this spiral conveyer 34 for tinal outlet into the lower hopper Q() and trough 21 for conveyance out of and away from the cleaner. All of the cotton which passes down to the second or lower saw cylinder 14 is taken up by the latter and the hulls or other matter that has a tendency to go over the saw cylinder with the cotton are kicked back by the stripper l?) and the cotton subjected to the action of the brush cylinder 15 and deposited on the outwardly and downwardly inclined deflection board $17 which terminates at its lower end at the inner terminal of a lower screen 38 arranged around the lower portion of a recleaning means consisting preferably, of a series of three spiked rollers 39, and 39, the screen 3S following around the lower portion of said rollers immediately above the downwardly inclined sheet metal wall or member of the housing adjacent thereto,

o said screen terminating at the upper end of the inner wall 4() of a hood or side outlet 41 which is adapted to be located over a gin stand roller box below and with which the improved cleaner is associated. The reclean- From the inner lower llt) titl

ing mechanism comprising the rollers 39, 39a and 39h and the lower enclosing screen 38 therefor are so arranged that the spikes thereof are close enough together to pass the cotton as it is fed to the lowermost roller 39 of the series from the deflection board 37 and be fed downwardly between and pass below the rollers and progressed by the spikes 39C of the rollers over the screen 38 in a thin mass and moved along said screen by the spikes of the rollers and tree of the cores or body cylinders 39d of the rollers, while the dust and dirt will pass through portions of the said screen 38 below` so that when the cotton reaches the outlet, it will be materially free of foreign matter and be in tirst class condition for operation thereon by ginning. As shown, the top end 42 of a gin stand, as now commonly built, is represented, and from this top of the gin stand are supports 43 and 44 by which the improved cleaner is applied and supported relatively to the gin stand, the dotted line 45 indicatinga a center line through the hnller roller box of the gin where the cotton is ordinarily received for handling and treatmei'lt by a gin. While the cleaner is represented as being applied in connection with a gin it is not to be understood that the cleaner in its application is thus specifically lin'iited. as it can be used in other ways or connections in the preparation ot cotton. It may be used in connection with unloading and cleaning; devices for final delivery into places of storage. lVherever desired and found necessary, the parts may be hinged, as, for example, at 46 and 47 of the upper portion of the hood, to accommodate closing or reducing the said hood, there being a closing-off valve 48 for the hood 4l hinged at 49 and illustrated in full and dotted lines to demonstrate its operation, and by means of this valve a temporary cessation of feed may be obtained` Cotton that is not sutliciently hully to require more than the ordinary rin stand to handle and discharge it. and other cotton ot higher quality. is delivered directly to the lower roller 89. the valve or `ate 9c is set as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, so that this cotton is passed downwardly over the deflection board or chute member 9a to and initier the said lower spiked rcclcaningr roller 3S). and then cont inucs to be passed under the remaining' rollers 39 and 39h. and is discharged from the cleaner through the hood 4l to the gin stand roller box. The cotton passing under the rollers 39. 39 and 39 will be so thin that air may readily pass therethrough and carry ott the dust and trash eliminated and which tinds its outlet through the screen 38 onto the adjacent lower member or floor 5b, and is directed downwardly and inwardly thereby to the trough 21 which may have, as heretofore indicated, the conveyer therein,

or this conveyer may be replaced by an air pipe under suction intlucnce, which is an obvious and Well known expedient in the art of handling or carrying away foreign matter eliminated from cotton. In the event that the cotton is bolly to an extent greater than that which would be successfully handled and delivered directly to the grin stand, the valve 9 is thrown over to the right, as shown in dotted lines, and the bolly cotton then passes downwardly over the chute member 9b to the spiked roller where it may be acted upon by the hol] breaker 25. It then passes downwardly to the next spiked roller 3() below, and thence to the spirally spiked conveyor 34 for operation upon by the lower saw cylinder 14. The cotton is delivered across the space between the upper saw cylinder 11 by the spiked roller 23 and thence down wardly to the next roller 30. as just explained. and then acted upon by the upper saw cylinder ll and passed therefrom where a considerable portion of separation of the cotton from the hulls takes place, and the mass then passes down to the spiked roller The hully cotton that engages the spiked roller 23 will be delivered across the space between the latter roller and the saw cylinder l1. and through the action of the stripper l0 will be thrown back into the space or passage between the said upper saw cylinder and the said spiked roller 23, then gravitatingf over the board 32 to the spiked roller 30. Such foreign matter as is taken out or eliminated by the roller 23 passes through the screen 24 and falls to the exit or trough 21 having therein the conveyer 22 or other analogous removinp` means. There will be more or less sifting; operation of the foreign matter passing: downwardly with the cotton. such `small pieces of hulls and other material discharged from the cotton during passage through the space between the upper saw cylinder ll and the board 32 to the spiked roller 30, and also below the deflection board or chute 32 as the mass passes to the conveyer 34. By this means a material advantage will result in the production of the sample. A given percent ot the said cotton will be separated by the upper saw cylinder ll. as above noted. and the foreign matter with the residue oll cottonI thrown otll from the saw cylinder l1 by centrifugal torce and the operatfoi ol the stripper ltl will tinally n"'a\itate and come in contact with the roller 30, where the operating results are similar to roller 23. ll'hen portions of hulls having;` cotton locks still clinging thereto reach the spirally toothed conveycr 34 they are caused to traverse the saw cylinder 14 from the ends towards the center thereof by the said spiral conveyer. with the result that the entire, or practically the entire, hull residue will be removed before the cotton mass is taken up by the Saw cylinder lland delivered to the deflection board or chute 37. and by the latter to the lower roller 39 of the rceleaning series of rollers 39, 39a and 39h, any hull particles chancing to come over with the cotton beingr kicked back by the stripper' 1?. The shells or trash removed by the conveyer 34- and lower Saw cylinder l-lpase; down through av central opening` 258" in the screen i8 and fall into the hopper 20 heii.-{` carried off as heretofore explained. Bota brush cylinders l2 and l5 cooperate or function with their respective saw cylinders 1l and 1l in a manner well known in this art.

One of the most important featnrcs of the present improved cleaner is: the spirally spiked conve-yer 34 arranged adjacent to the lower saw cylinder ist and by which cotton locks and portions of hulls are detached and the cotton cauehtz up and thrown over the saw ci limiter ot the lowerinost roller E?) of the of recleanjintgr rollers 3f). ltll and tll. Another important. feature of the prencnt invention is the recleaning1 rollers 23. lfl and il. located for receiving the cotton, as liereinbetore A Ji t w cotton is delivered from the last of t ood 4l. the cotton will be practically fr e ot all pardcfecribed, so ci of rollers 39") to the side outi At or ticles of hulls and other foreign n'iaiter. The spik` 39" of the rollers pass adjacent to the apikes of the succeeding` rollers throughout the. series of rollers 39, 39" and 335', there beineF just enough space between the spikes-f to afford a clearance of the said spikes during rotation of the rollers. anch as a consconence. Vthe cotton is held below the axes of the rollers during its traverse of the entire. series of rollers. As a conf-fetuienee when the cotton reaches the hood -ll and is; deposited in the grin, it has not been wasted and the fibers thereof have not been twisted or broken. because the cotton is prevented from pas-ing between these recleaning rollers. The upward inclination of the group of reeleanine,l rollers` 3,. 39a and 391 is especially effective. in performing the cleaningl operation. as the cotton is forced to move in an upwardly inclined direction with some little reSitstance which will be more effective in separating the dirt, dust and trash therefrom before delivery of the cotton to the side out-let or hood 41.

From the foregoing' it will be seen that the parts of the cleaner are comparatively simple in their construction and operation, and when air currents are admitted through the valves and allowed to descend or be directed downwardly by the operation of the mechanisms the cotton will be more thoroughly cleaned, and especially after leaving' the recleaning rollers 3), 39@ and 39" where the cotton is maintained in a thin stream-like mass and prevented from packing and occluding1 the passage of the air currents therethrough.

It is proposed to modify the proportions and minor details of construction of the several iliarts within the scope of the appended claim, and to employ auch mechanism for connectingr and operating the several parts to impart thereto the purposed direction of rotation as may he desired and well known to those skilled in the art.

that is claimed as new is:

A cotton cleaner including a casing' havingr an upper centrally disposed inlet and a side. outlet, two superposed strip, brush and saw combinations:` a Saddle interposed between the upper combination and the inlet, the apex of said saddle beiner approximately below the center line of the inlet, a valve cooperatingl with the apex of the saddle and the casing to direct the cotton and hulls from the inlet to either side of the. saddle. avseries of boll breakers mounted in the casing at the opposite side of the outlet of the casing?Y to break the bolts when the cotton and bollo` are diverted for operation upon b v the breakers and the combinations. and. a series of siiked rollers and screens interposed between the outlet and the combinations and upon which the cotton and hulls may be directly fed from the saddle and to which the cotton is fed after treatment by the combinations.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto Set my hand.

EDV/'ARD L. FARLEY. 

